Yield: 2 loaves
Honey Wheat Bread
Soft, tender, fluffy Honey Wheat Bread is baked to a lovely golden brown, with a nice crisp crust. This bread is wonderful as a snack, breakfast, side dish, and more!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- ⅔ cup warm milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons honey, divided
- 2 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup salted butter, room temperature
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Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast and 2 teaspoons of honey. Lightly whisk together to combine, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until bubbly and frothy.
- Once the mixture has proofed, add in the remaining honey and whisk together. Swap the attachment to a dough hook, then add in the whole wheat flour and salt. Knead until combined.
- Add in the all purpose flour and knead on medium speed until the dough starts to come together. Add in the butter and knead for 6-8 minutes on medium speed, until a smooth, somewhat firm dough forms.
- Once the dough has been kneaded, remove it from the mixing bowl and roll it into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl well, then place the dough back inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Once doubled in size, transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Split in 2, then roll each dough piece into a loaf shape and pinch the seams together. Place the loaves into well greased loaf pans, then let rise for about 30 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Once the loaves have risen, place them into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake bread for 40 minutes, until baked through and golden on top. Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Storing: Bread may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Once stored, the bread will lose the crisp outside and become softer as the moisture in the bread moves toward the surface. If you like the crisp edges, you can always toast it lightly before serving.
Freezing: You can freeze honey wheat bread by cooling it completely, and then sealing it in a double layer (such as a layer of foil followed by a zip-top bag, or a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil). Then mark it with the date, and freeze for up to six months. Thaw to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Room Temperature Butter: It is best to use room temperature butter for this recipe, as it will be able to be worked into the dough smoothly. The butter should be soft enough to be easily pliable, but still firm enough to hold its shape. For best results, set the butter out on the counter about an hour before making this bread.
Water and Milk Temperature: When working with yeast-based recipes such as this one, it’s important to make sure you are using the correct temperature of water/milk. If the liquids are too hot, they will kill the yeast. Too cold, and the yeast won’t be able to activate, resulting in a dough that will not be able to properly rise. The ideal temperature is between 105°F - 110°F.
Rising Times: Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, you may need to let the dough rise for more or less time than instructed for the rise times. For the first rise, you want the dough to be doubled in size, but not much under or over. For the second rise, you are looking for nice puffy loaves.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 165kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 274mg, Potassium: 93mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 157IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg